A day in the life of Threepipe co-founder Jim Hawker

Too much work, too little time – that’s why Jim Hawker, co-founder of Threepipe, needs a holiday.

My day

6.30am: The alarm goes off and I struggle to get out of bed. I need a holiday and am pretty knackered at the moment. I have a mini weekend booked in Moscow coming up and I am starting to feel like I need a week by the pool instead. I check my email and Twitter feeds while in the bathroom, something which my girlfriend finds intensely irritating, but it has become part of the morning routine!

8.00am: Arrive at Threepipe to help interview an account manager candidate with my business partner Eddie, while I gulp down the first coffee of the day.

9.00am: I meet a prospective client with other Threepipers for a chemistry meeting which seemed to go quite well. I had never heard of a chemistry meeting until a few years ago and they now seem to be a big part of any pitch process. We spent quite a bit of time preparing over the couple of days so that we can sound knowledgeable about their business!

11.00am: Client meeting ahead of a big project that goes live in a few weeks’ time. There is a lot going on and it’s quite a complex and integrated campaign that involves event sponsorship, social media activation and VIP entertainment. Everything seems on track, but I have asked for a meeting every couple of days so that we can chat everything through regularly.

12.00 noon: Off to meet a new client with the team to brainstorm further ideas for the coming year over a working lunch. It’s a good session and a lively debate, and the sandwiches were pretty good too. There is a lot of work to do which at first can seem a little daunting, but it’s a great client and we are all confident it will be a great success.

3.00pm: Back to the office to chat about Threepipe’s plans for the coming year. We are evaluating our positioning and our new business drive as we have recently set up two new divisions – a social media team and also a sports fashion team. Eddie leads the meeting with our other directors and I chip in.

5.00pm: Catch up with emails, make sure there are no client issues before I head off to meet another agency CEO. I am meeting him over a beer with a view to seeing if would like to bring his agency into Threepipe and grow another area of our business.

7.00pm: Head home on the tube after three pints and not just the one. Whack on Sky Sports News to see whether Fulham has bought anyone decent in the summer transfer window, but it hasn’t. Final check of email and double check my diary for the next day – secretly hoping there are no big meetings and I can just wear my jeans and T-shirt tomorrow.